The invention relates to a vehicle assistance device for displaying information for an occupant of a vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle having such a vehicle assistance device and to a system for providing data for a vehicle assistance device.
During a trip by a vehicle, the vehicle changes between various physical zones or physical contexts that have various peculiarities or specifics. The foibles associated with each trip section may be of particular interest to a driver. By way of example, this relates to a border crossing into another country, the arrival at various destinations or else multimodal mobility activities, that is to say the use of various means of transport.
It is desirable to provide a vehicle assistance device that, when a particular state of the vehicle arises or when the state is terminated or when a physical area is entered or left, provides specific information for a driver for the state or the physical area. Furthermore, a vehicle having such a vehicle assistance device is intended to be provided. A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for providing data for a vehicle assistance device in a vehicle that allows specific information concerning a particular state of the vehicle or concerning a particular physical area in which a vehicle is currently located to be provided for the driver.
According to one embodiment, the vehicle assistance device comprises a control device for controlling the display of information, a display device for displaying the information, a position locating device for ascertaining the position of the vehicle, a sensor device for establishing a state of the vehicle and a memory device having a first memory for storing states of the vehicle and having a second memory for storing positions. The control device is configured such that the control device compares the ascertained state of the vehicle with the states of the vehicle that are stored in the first memory and compares the ascertained position of the vehicle with the positions of the vehicle that are stored in the second memory. The control device is configured such that the control device displays the information on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle matches a state that is stored in the first memory and/or the ascertained position of the vehicle matches a position that is stored in the second memory.
The vehicle assistance device provides a mobility service that proactively assists a driver, under system initiation, when changing between two different mobility sections in which different rules, specifics or peculiarities apply or in which different information is of interest to the driver. The vehicle assistance device can provide different information when entering a physical zone or when leaving the physical zone. When entering a particular travel section, for example, the display device of the vehicle assistance device can be used to display a welcome menu with important information relating to the travel section. When leaving the route section, a farewell menu with information that may be of interest when leaving the route section can be displayed.
The interaction with the vehicle assistance device can take place on various equipment in the vehicle. By way of example, the display device may be a display that is part of the infotainment system of the vehicle, a user programmable display that is arranged in the combination instrument of the vehicle or a head up display. Input and output can be effected using various input/output arrangements, for example visually or audibly. The welcome menu and the farewell menu with their respective information can be presented either on the same display device or on different display devices, or in combination on one display device.
A change between travel sections or a change of mobility context takes place particularly in the following situations: at the beginning of mobility, that is to say before the beginning of the actual trip, for example from home, from a hotel or from the workplace; when changing the means of transport, for example when changing between automobile, bicycle, bus, train, rental automobile, automobile-carrying train, ferry, airplane, ship or walking; during interruptions to a trip, particularly during breaks/rest, when filling up, when performing services or during relatively long waiting times; in the event of changes in cognitive requirements, for example when changing to automated driving; when entering regions with different legal regulations, particularly when crossing borders or when entering environmental zones and city toll zones; when entering privately organized areas, particularly when driving into parking lots, into parking garages, into underground parking garages or onto company premises or when leaving same and at the end of the trip.
According to one embodiment, a system for providing data for a vehicle assistance device in a vehicle comprises a vehicle having a vehicle assistance device as described above and a device external to the vehicle for providing the information for the vehicle assistance device of the vehicle. The device for providing the information has a memory device for storing data. The device for providing the information has a control device for selecting the information from the data stored in the memory device. The control device is designed to select the information from the data stored in the memory device on the basis of the state of the vehicle as ascertained by the vehicle assistance device and/or on the basis of the position of the vehicle as ascertained by the vehicle assistance device. The device for providing the information sends the information to the vehicle assistance device of the vehicle when the control device has made the request to the vehicle assistance device to send the information to the external device.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.